Smart Phones and Sacrament

One of the most popular models

These day and age, it would seem that everyone and their dog has a smart phone. Is it completely necessary for everyone? Maybe not. The fact remains that more and more people are starting to have a smart device, regardless their age.

I remember when I didn't get a cell phone until I started college. This was back in 2007, and certainly before the iPhone and Android craze in the past few years.

When I first started attending sacrament meeting as an investigator in early 2007, the children had to be distracted with various toys and gimmicks in order to stop them from making too much noise during the sacred ordinance. Nowadays, when I revisit a family ward, I see kids with iPads, iPodTouch, etc. and all sorts of fancy stuff.

Even in the YSA wards here in Provo, I see similar phenomenon, except we have young adults instead of children playing on their smart devices during sacrament meeting.

I'm not against smart phones because I have one myself. The whole "fiddling on your phone" trend happened way before smart phones. Remember those days in high school that people just can't seem to get off their phones for two seconds because someone was always texting them? Yeah, somewhat ridiculous and gives a bad rep to people who actually use the phones for more productive purposes. You have no idea how many times when I'm jogging down notes on my phone and people think I'm just playing on it!

I personally find smart phones helpful when it comes to taking notes during sacrament meeting or Sunday School. I currently have an iPhone 4S and I use the built-in Notes app in church. I decided to take notes on my iPhone this summer. Some older members may think I'm dilly dallying on my phone during sacrament meeting, but I am actually not doing so.

Anyway, the point being that it is easy to use. I can just type out whatever I need and send it to myself via e-mail. Usually, I delete the note on my phone to save space, but you can do whatever you want.

There are pros about having a smart phone versus traditional methods of taking notes in church.

Easy to use app

For example,

• I don't need pens or pencils or pieces of paper.
• Much more legible.
• You have an electronic copy of your notes and can print them out if you wish.

Downside of doing this...

• Can be distracting because it is your phone after all.
• If you choose to print out your notes, there may be additional cost involved.
• Not recommended for people who type slow.

When it's all said and done, I choose to e-mail the copy of the notes to myself.

Just a list of my notes so far

This way, I can always revisit them or perhaps even print them out for future reference. Technology can be good or bad depending on the user. I do feel the proper use of our smart devices during church meetings could enhance our overall learning. That is, if you are proactive enough to do the right thing.

It's a crazy yet marvelous age we live in. It's hard to believe none of these things were available until a few years ago. There are many implications to the increased use of technology in the work. As beneficial as it can be, I also know that it can be a great distraction. All I can say to that is, use good judgment brothers and sisters. :)

As for kids getting ADD off of these devices, that's a story for another time. :v